butternut squash apple casserole

[cimorene]

So apparently butternut squash and apple casserole is a traditional American side dish commonly served at Thanksgiving, but not one that I was familiar with. We were just watching Living with Myself, in which Paul Rudd makes one for dinner, and it sounded good so I googled it. Several recipe results said something along the lines of "a great side dish or perfect for a holiday dinner casserole" or "great for fall dinners". So we bought the stuff and made one.

Okay, and it's not BAD, it's just... like, have you had the soul food type of sweet potato pie? So it's basically a cobbler or crumble, full of cinnamon and caramelized sugar? I used to look forward to the Roots festival because you could get it there, and sure, it's traditionally a "side dish", but sweet potato pie is at a sweetness level with apple pie or other dessert pies. I mean, I would eat it as a dessert.

And that's also the case with this casserole. It's not as sweet as the sugariest pie I've ever had, but I've had plenty of desserts that were less sweet too. And it feels pretty weird to eat dessert for dinner. We ate it with pan-fried halloumi, which was a great flavor combination by the way, but would work better with a strong salty flavor alongside it.

Comments

[twistedchick]

You can do it without the sugar. Just interlayer slices of apple with slices of squash and bake. Sprinkle on some cinnamon or ginger. That's all.

[cimorene]

That's a nice idea! We should try it. Apparently no recipes like that made it very high in the search algorithm.

[krait]

Makes me think of that horridly oversweetened "sweet potato casserole" with the melted marshmallows on top. Even as a kid that stuff was so sweet I never wanted more than a spoonful.

Imagine my shock when I grew up and realised sweet potatoes could be good, instead of smothered in sugar.

[cimorene]

I have heard of the marshmallow topping, but I don't think I've seen it like that in person.

[anatsuno]

I watched that show yesterday and today (I watch stuff continuously) and I was curious about it too - though not enough to look recipes up yet) so this entry was super timely for me! :D

[cimorene]

Top comment had a nice suggestion of simply baking it with a sprinkling of cinnamon and ginger, omitting all the sugar. Given they are both rather watery fruits with inherent sweetness I think that should also be good... we had it with roasted lemon broccoli yesterday and that balanced the sweetness better, but I think ideally one would reduce the quantity of the casserole on the plate if not eating it as a dessert and fill it with salad or a neutral starchy food like rice or potatoes. Like, even assuming it as a side dish along a slow-roasted turkey or a traditional spicy barbecue, ... it seems like it would be a bit overpowering as the sole side dish. (Probably why both those meal scenarios include like 10 different side dishes...)